Top Canadian age group results from the Ironman 70.3 World Championship
Eight Canadians charged to top-10 performances in Taupo, New Zealand, over the weekend
Photo by:
Kevin Mackinnon
The Ironman 70.3 World Championship saw fast and exciting pro races on Saturday and Sunday in Taupo, New Zealand, and Canadians Paula Findlay and Tamara Jewett flew to sixth- and ninth-place finishes, respectively, in the women’s race. Many more Canadians raced in the age group events, with eight of them climbing to top-10 results.
Men 75 to 79
Bob Knuckey of Caledon, Ont., and Victoria’s Garth Fuller posted back-to-back finishes in the men’s 75 to 79 age group, finishing in sixth and seventh. Knuckey recorded the fifth-fastest swim of the age group, completing the 1.9-kilometre course in 40:21. He followed that up with the second-quickest ride of the day, covering 90 kilometres in just over three hours.
The run proved to be a challenge, but he soldiered along the course to a sixth-place finish. Fuller used the seventh-fastest run of the day in their age group to climb the ranks into the top 10. Knuckey posted a final time of 6:47:27, and Fuller crossed the line 13 minutes later in 7:00:12.
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Women 60 to 64
Francine Marcoux of Magog, Que., finished a tremendous sixth in the women’s 60 to 64 age group. Her 37:13 swim saw her well back of the leaders as she set out on the bike, but that’s when she got down to business. She had the 10th best ride of the day in her age group with a 2:56:56 split, and she used the fourth-fastest half-marathon of the day (a fantastic 1:46:12) among the 60 to 64 racers to climb all the way to sixth. She crossed the line in a final time of 5:28:31.
Men 50 to 54
Victoria’s Mike Neill clinched a ninth-place finish in his age group with a stellar 4:31:22 finish. His 30:57 swim split put him in 91st as he exited the water, but the 22nd-fastest ride (he recorded a 2:26:18 split) and the ninth-best run (a great time of 1:26:55) in his age group lifted him into the top 10.
Women 50 to 54
St. Catharines, Ont., triathlete Janine Cicci notched a seventh-place result in the women’s 50 to 54 age group after stopping the clock in 5:11:44. Her 36-minute swim saw her enter T1 in 65th place in the age group. She proceeded to lay down the fifth-best bike split of the day among the 50 to 54 women, navigating the 90-kilometre course in 2:37:53. She followed that up with the seventh-best run on the day with a 1:47:58 split to secure her spot in the top 10.
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Women 40 to 44
April Rice, a Canadian living in Singapore, cruised to an impressive 4:52:48 finish in Taupo, earning her ninth place in the women’s 40 to 44 age category. Rice was very consistent across all three legs of the race, kicking things off with the 14th-best swim of the day (she exited the water in 30:21), following that up with the 11th-fastest bike (in 2:41:47), and closing things out with the ninth-quickest run in 1:34:03.
Men 30 to 34
Nova Scotia’s Dante Manchester finished 73rd overall among the men (including the professional racers), and he used a speedy 4:05:25 finish to grab eighth place in the men’s 30 to 34 age group. His 24:39 swim had him sitting in eighth in the age group as he set out on the bike. He had the 16th-best ride of the day in his age with a 2:16:30 split, and he wrapped up the race with a 1:18:39, the eighth-fastest split of the day to earn him eighth place in the age group.
Women 18 to 24
The youngest Canadian in the top 10 was North Vancouver’s Rhian Paterson, who finished ninth in the women’s 18 to 24 age group. She posted a 32:06 swim, followed by a 2:41:00 bike split. With only the run left, she flew to a 1:33:09 half-marathon (the ninth-best of the day among 18 to 24 racers)Â and an overall finish of 4:54:27. This not only put her in ninth in her age group, and she also finished 113th overall (including the pro women) out of more than 2,000 competitors.